Major changes to the structure and jurisdiction of Vietnam’s court system have been introduced in Resolution No. 81/2025/UBTVQH15, passed by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly of Vietnam (“Resolution 81”), and Resolution No. 01/2025/NQ-HĐTP issued by the Council of Judges of the Supreme People’s Court (“Resolution 01”), both dated 27 June 2025. These changes, effective from 1 July 2025, include the establishment, dissolution, and redefinition of the territorial jurisdictions for provincial and regional level courts.
Below is a summary of the key updates regarding the new court system and its impact on legal proceedings.
Key Takeaways
- From 1 July 2025, across 34 provinces and cities of Vietnam, the court system will consist of 34 provincial-level courts and 355 regional-level courts.
- For matters relating to the setting aside of arbitral awards and registration of ad hoc arbitral awards, the People’s Courts of Hanoi City, Da Nang City, and Ho Chi Minh City have jurisdiction over designated provinces and cities.
- For matters relating to civil, commercial, and administrative disputes involving intellectual property and technology transfer, the Region 2 Court – Hanoi City will have jurisdiction over 20 provinces and cities from Hue City northward, while the Region 1 Court – Ho Chi Minh City will cover 14 provinces and cities from Da Nang City southward.
- For bankruptcy matters, the Region 2 Court – Hanoi City, Region 1 Court – Da Nang City, and Region 1 Court – Ho Chi Minh City will exercise jurisdiction over specified provinces and cities.
- The restructuring of Vietnam’s court system, effective from 1 July 2025 may impact current and future legal proceedings, particularly in terms of court jurisdiction, physical court locations, and the transfer of existing cases.
New System of Provincial Level Courts
The new system comprises 34 provincial level courts, of which 19 are formed by consolidating former provincial level courts (including those in Hai Phong City, Da Nang City, Ho Chi Minh City, and Can Tho City, among others), while 11 courts (including those in Hanoi City and Hue City) remain unchanged.
These 19 consolidated courts will inherit the rights and obligations of the former courts in their respective jurisdictions. Key new provincial courts include:
| New Provincial Court | (Former) Provincial Courts |
| The People’s Court of Hai Phong City | The People’s Courts of Hai Phong City, and Hai Duong Province |
| The People’s Court of Da Nang City | The People’s Courts of Da Nang City, and Quang Nam Province |
| The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City | The People’s Courts of Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, and Binh Duong Province |
| The People’s Court of Can Tho City | The People’s Courts of Can Tho City, and Hau Giang Province and Soc Trang Province |
Establishment of Regional Courts
Resolution 81 also establishes 355 regional-level courts across 34 provinces and centrally governed cities. These courts replace the former district-level courts and assume their respective rights and obligations as listed in Annex 1 of Resolution 81. In respect of the two biggest cities in Vietnam:
- Hanoi City will have 12 regional-level courts, restructured from the city’s previous 30 district-level courts.
- Ho Chi Minh City will have 19 regional-level courts, restructured from 38 former district-level courts.
Jurisdiction of Certain Provincial and Regional Level Courts over Specialised Areas
Certain provincial and regional level courts have been assigned jurisdiction over specific specialised areas, as detailed in the table below:
| Specialised Areas | Provincial / Regional Courts | Provinces and cities within jurisdiction |
| Set aside of arbitral award, registration of ad hoc arbitral award | People’s Court of Hanoi City | Hanoi City, Hai Phong City, Bac Ninh Province, Cao Bang Province, Dien Bien Province, Ha Tinh Province, Hung Yen Province, Lai Chau Province, Lang Son Province, Lao Cai Province, Nghe An Province, Ninh Binh Province, Phu Tho Province, Quang Ninh Province, Son La Province, Thai Nguyen Province, Thanh Hoa Province, and Tuyen Quang Province |
| People’s Court of Da Nang City | Da Nang City, Hue City, Dak Lak Province, Gia Lai Province, Khanh Hoa Province, Quang Ngai Province, and Quang Tri Province | |
| People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City | Can Tho City, Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang Province, Ca Mau Province, Dong Nai Province, Dong Thap Province, Lam Dong Province, Tay Ninh Province, and Vinh Long Province | |
| Bankruptcy | Region 2 People’s Court – Hanoi City | Hanoi City, Hai Phong City, Bac Ninh Province, Cao Bang Province, Dien Bien Province, Ha Tinh Province, Hung Yen Province, Lai Chau Province, Lang Son Province, Lao Cai Province, Nghe An Province, Ninh Binh Province, Phu Tho Province, Quang Ninh Province, Son La Province, Thai Nguyen Province, Thanh Hoa Province, and Tuyen Quan Province |
| Region 1 People’s Court – Da Nang City | Da Nang City, Hue City, Dak Lak Province, Gia Lai Province, Khanh Hoa Province, Quang Ngai Province, and Quang Tri Province | |
| Region 1 People’s Court – Ho Chi Minh City | Can Tho City, Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang Province, Ca Mau Province, Dong Nai Province, Dong Thap Province, Lam Dong Province, Tay Ninh Province, and Vinh Long Province | |
| Civil, business, commerce, administration relating to intellectual property, transfer of technology | Region 2 People’s Court – Hanoi City | Hanoi City, Hai Phong City, Hue City, Bac Ninh Province, Cao Bang Province, Dien Bien Province, Ha Tinh Province, Hung Yen Province, Lai Chau Province, Lang Son Province, Lao Cai Province, Nghe An Province, Ninh Binh Province, Phu Tho Province, Quang Ninh Province, Quang Tri Province, Son La Province, Thai Nguyen Province, Thanh Hoa Province, and Tuyen Quan Province |
| Region 1 People’s Court – Ho Chi Minh City | Can Tho City, Da Nang City, Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang Province, Ca Mau Province, Dak Lak Province, Dong Nai Province, Dong Thap Province, Gia Lai Province, Khanh Hoa Province, Lam Dong Province, Quang Ngai Province, Tay Ninh Province, and Vinh Long Province |
Implications for Legal Proceedings
These structural reforms may affect both ongoing and future legal proceedings, particularly in the following respects:
- Jurisdiction: Parties involved in disputes should verify the jurisdiction of the relevant court before initiating legal actions, as territorial jurisdictions have been redefined.
- Court Locations: The restructuring may involve the relocation of court headquarters, such as the consolidation of former district courts (g., from Hoan Kiem District Court to Region 1 People’s Court – Hanoi City), which may affect parties’ accessibility and case-related logistics.
- Case Transfers: Cases pending before courts that have been dissolved under the new structure will be transferred to the newly established courts that have assumed their jurisdiction under Resolution 01.
Conclusion
The Resolutions have comprehensively reformed the court structure in Vietnam. During this transitional period, it is recommended that relevant parties review any ongoing or planned legal proceedings to ensure compliance with the new structure.
Indochine Counsel is available to assist you in navigating these changes, including identifying the appropriate court for your case and addressing any procedural requirements.
For further information, please contact:
Pham Viet Tuan, Partner, Indochine Counsel
tuan.pham@indochinecounsel.com
